CLASSY KEITH CLINCHES JUNE MEDAL

Johnston's Bakery kindly sponsored County Armagh Golf Club's June Medal on 17 June, when the sweet taste of tournament success was enjoyed by Keith Stewart.

A magnificent homeward haul of seven consecutive pars saw Keith round off a peerless nett 63 and seal the third monthly Medal to be awarded in the 2018 campaign.

In addition to that pleasing closing streak, Stewart parred six of the concluding seven holes on his front nine, which meant that even double bogeys at the 1st and 8th couldn't blot his Sunday copybook. It all added up to a superb gross 77, and the icing on Keith's cake came in the form of a satisfying 14-to-12 handicap reduction.

David Leeman couldn't quite take the cream off the winner's bun, but his tremendous nett 65 secured for him the overall runner-up prize.

Leeman negotiated the outward nine in seven pars and two bogeys before a birdie at the 14th helped him to a useful 40-stroke back nine. The consequential gross 76 constituted an impressive return and means that David is now teeing it up as a 10-handicapper.

Going one better than champion Keith's closing sequence was John Lavery, whose eight pars in a row to finish enabled him to sign for a high-standard nett 66 and fill first position in category 1. John's serene back nine was in sharp contrast to an entertainingly turbulent front side that, remarkably, comprised four sixes and five threes.

Noel Murtagh's best golf also came after the turn. Amid a terrific three-over-par back nine, the now 10-handicapper registered a birdie up on Rokeby Green before reeling off five pars on the spin on his journey back to the clubhouse.

Yet another player to make a mockery of the old (and usually accurate) adage that it's tricky to get a good score over the line at County Armagh Golf Club was Sean McAnenly. He was level par from the 11th to the 18th having been eleven over for the previous 10; quite a turnaround.

Sean's excellent nett 68 kept him one ahead of Peter McBride in the category 2 reckoning. Continuing the prevailing trend of the day's play, McBride's outing improved the longer it went on and he parred five of the last eight holes.

Two men to have featured regularly among the prizes in recent weeks are Peter McParland and Paul Donnelly, and this deadly duo topped the category 3 standings again here. McParland took the honours with a fine nett 68 that included a birdie at the 6th, while a hat-trick of pars contributed to second-placed Donnelly's solid nett 69.

Shea Smyth was uncharacteristic in opening each nine with a double bogey but, elsewhere, he was magnificent. Five birdies more than repaired the damage caused at the 1st and 10th, and Shea's one-under-par knock represented the competition's best gross performance.